KUWAIT, Feb 3 (KUNA) -- The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) announced Friday the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) prices - propane and butane - for February.

KPC said in a statement that the propane will be sold for USD 1,010 per metric ton in the current month, an increase of USD 160 compared to January's USD 850 per metric ton.

The butane will be sold at USD 1,040 per metric ton during February, with a rise of USD 130 compared to USD 910 per metric ton in January.

The prices of propane and butane are affected by fluctuations of international oil prices and the rising and dropping of the US dollar compared to main currencies.

The hike in gas prices is also due to the escalation of political tension in the Middle East and North Africa, which caused fear of gas supplies shortage from these regions to rest of the world.

The winter season, as usual, played a vital part in increasing gas prices.

The propane and butane are of multi-purposes, as they are used in cooking, heating and production of petrochemical substances.